Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="champs99and04, post: 2005386, member: 488"] I agree with most of this, which is why I'm still optimistic about the future. Regarding our recent run of big men, you're right, none of them came here with any degree of polish - aside from maybe Facey, though your observation about his limited experience is noted - and my hunch is that that's an easy trap to fall into as a young coach. Not to suggest Ollie overrated his own ability to develop players, but when you're a novice to the coaching profession I imagine it is easy to fall for unharnessed talent under the premise that you can coach [I]anybody [/I]up. Perhaps with some seasoning comes a greater appreciation for players who make the job easier for you, and my hope is that a kid like Carlton represents a shift in philosophy that makes us a little more watchable these next few years. Even if you're grading on a curve, though, you have to admit that you expected more from some of these kids. Brimah and Nolan - both four year kids with ample opportunity to grow instinctively and as students of the game - [I]combined [/I]for 48 assists in the 7.5 seasons they've played so far. It's an enormous luxury for a defense to optimize their help structure to account for the knowledge that virtually all paint touches from the big's are going to result in either turnovers or shot attempts. On Facey, you're still talking about a kid taking 5 shots per game on the 244th ranked offense in the country. Granted, his stats are depressed by a slow start to the season that cut into his minutes, but even on a per 40 rate he's taking less than 8 shots per game, averaging just over 1 assist, and turning it over almost twice as much. Deeming him a legitimate chess piece seems awfully liberal, especially considering he balks at the first inkling of a double, isn't comfortable putting the ball on the floor, and struggles to finish through contact. He never developed into an effective screener, he doesn't monopolize the defense with rim-runs like Brimah does, and he's strangely reluctant to ever pop to the three point line - or even a couple steps in - for jump shots that his touch would seem to indicate he's capable of hitting. As a result, his offense is reduced to low-reward floaters and short jumpers in the paint, which, while he hits them at an efficient clip, don't necessarily translate to any sort of sustainable offense. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach

Forum statistics

Threads: 164,581

Messages: 4,402,038

Members: 10,216

Latest member: illini2013